Expansion movement continues as San Diego County joins growing list of West Coast clubs

NEW YORK (June 26, 2017) – Professional soccer is making its long-awaited return to San Diego County. The North American Soccer League (NASL) announced Monday that San Diego County is the league’s newest expansion market, and the club will make its league debut in the Spring of 2018.

San Diego NASL is backed by an ownership group led by four global soccer stars: Demba Ba, Eden Hazard, Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sow. The players have partnered with local business executives to bring high-quality, professional soccer back to an area that is home to 3.3 million people and more than 50,000 youth players. Bob Watkins, a longtime San Diegan and successful businessman, will serve as the club’s president.

Overall weighted average rent decreased for the first time since Spring 2014

SAN DIEGO (June 26, 2017) — T­­he vacancy rate in residential rental units across San Diego County now stands at 3.7 percent, a significant drop from the 5.4 percent vacancy rate reported in fall 2016, according to the San Diego County Apartment Association’s (SDCAA) Spring 2017 Vacancy and Rental Rate Survey.

In the City of San Diego, the vacancy rate is 3.3 percent. In the rest of the county, the rate is 4.1 percent. East County and South Bay have the lowest vacancy rates at 3.7 percent, while North County has a vacancy rate of 5.1 percent.

Last year, city of San Diego tax revenues grew more slowly than expenses despite pension reforms. Even as a Republican, Mayor Kevin Faulconer knows there is little or no fat left to cut in the city budget.

​The revenue-expense gap is likely to continue for up to 30 years without new revenues. Unlike the federal government, cities aren’t allowed deficit budgets and they can’t print money. The choice we face is finding new revenue or cutting the bare bones services we suffer from in San Diego.